"Black Friday" is the astonishing true story of a coastal community that lost one hundred and eighty nine men in a single afternoon. Britain's worst fishing disaster decimated the coastal community of Eyemouth, yet is an almost forgotten part of the past. 125 years on, this is the story of that storm, told through the accounts of fishermen at sea caught up in the maelstrom, of their families waiting anxiously for news, and of its historical context. (At its heart is a gripping narrative of survival and high adventure when Eyemouth was the centre of a massive smuggling ring.) Author Peter Aitchison does more than simply spin a good yarn, as a direct descendant, his account of how these fishermen plied their trade, led their lives and met their fate in the 1880s is an insightful and compelling read.
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About the Author
Peter Aitchison is a News Producer on BBC Radio Scotland. Born in Eyemouth, he now lives in Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By G. D. Lomax
Format:Paperback
This is a very well researched book on the background of the fishing community in Eyemouth, Berwickshire. Peter Aitchison has woven a very readable account of the social, political, historical and economic factors which lead to the disaster which befell this community.
In pursuit of their day to day living of fishing from small boats, 129 local men and boys and seventy more from up and down the Berwickshire coast perished in a ferocious autumn storm.
Peter has used a variety of sources including his own family's memories to weave the human story throughout this period and has given a vivid insight into a small community riven by tragedy and the ways in which it survived and overcame the immense challenge that was presented.
This book is a great, graphic read for all interested in the disaster genre but is indispensible for any with an interest in Berwickshire's local history, the fishing industry and family historians. A great many of the characters involved in the daily life of Eyemouth are described in detail, bringing alive our ancestors, their friends and workmates and giving us all an insight into the motivation of the fishing families of the time and the ways in which they used the events described to forge a new community with better and safer working practises.
In pursuit of their day to day living of fishing from small boats, 129 local men and boys and seventy more from up and down the Berwickshire coast perished in a ferocious autumn storm.
Peter has used a variety of sources including his own family's memories to weave the human story throughout this period and has given a vivid insight into a small community riven by tragedy and the ways in which it survived and overcame the immense challenge that was presented.
This book is a great, graphic read for all interested in the disaster genre but is indispensible for any with an interest in Berwickshire's local history, the fishing industry and family historians. A great many of the characters involved in the daily life of Eyemouth are described in detail, bringing alive our ancestors, their friends and workmates and giving us all an insight into the motivation of the fishing families of the time and the ways in which they used the events described to forge a new community with better and safer working practises.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By P. Aitchison
Format:Paperback
I am the author of Black Friday and dont understand why Amazon is listing it as a hardback - it is and always has been a paperback. The listing has nothing to do with me
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Black Friday is a historic novel based on the Scottish East Coast area of Berwickshire and the disaster that befell the fishing communities of this area on October 1881.
Belonging to this area myself I never new that so much history was associated with this area of Scotland, this along with the story of the fishing disaster that decimated the Village of Eyemouth on that day made this a gripping story for me.
This book should be read by all historians as it gives a fantastic insight into the Berwickshire area of Scotland that sadly for most is now forgotten.
A great read.
Belonging to this area myself I never new that so much history was associated with this area of Scotland, this along with the story of the fishing disaster that decimated the Village of Eyemouth on that day made this a gripping story for me.
This book should be read by all historians as it gives a fantastic insight into the Berwickshire area of Scotland that sadly for most is now forgotten.
A great read.
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